Twenty Seven
I awoke with a start, thinking I had overslept. The steel curtains around the house made it difficult to tell whether it was day or night. I winced at the sudden pain in my head. I haven't had a hangover this bad in a long time. I squinted at the bed. Loki lie there sleeping. He looked peaceful. I brushed a lock of raven hair from his face.
I pulled my hand back with a start. What was I doing? I made my way to the kitchen for pain killers and food. I returned to the bedroom to eat my blueberries and fall back asleep. Loki was sitting up in bed.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"No." He shook his head. I sat in my chair. It was becoming uncomfortable. I started eating my blueberries. He licked his thin lips.
"Hungry?" I asked. He nodded. I sat next to him on the bed. I gave him some water and offered him the bag of dried blueberries. He held his bound hands up with a sheepish grin. I rolled my eyes and fed him a berry. He gently took it, not letting his skin touch mine. We ate in silence for fifteen or so minutes. I offered another berry, this time taking my fingers in his mouth too. He sucked gently, swirling his tongue around my finger and thumb. I moaned quietly, but not quietly enough. I felt his smile around my digits. I pulled away and stood to leave.
"Feed yourself." I threw the bag at him. "I have work to do anyway."
I really didn't have work to do, I just needed away from him. I was convinced my relationship with Lana had been a trick. He meant the whole thing to make a fool of me. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He was still eating, sucking blueberry off each of his fingers. He knew I was watching and turned around, my back facing him. I fiddled around with some piece of circuitry. I caught his reflection in a screen. He was checking himself over. He was still tinged light blue. The darker lines not even present.
"What's with the blue anyway?" I said with my back still turned. He looked shocked. I swiveled around in my chair. My arms crossed just under the Arc Reactor waiting for an answer.
"I'm not going to yell, you want to know then you must come here."he said. I scooted my chair into the doorframe. He sighed at my stubbornness.
"Mother and Allfather once told Thor and I stories of the other realms. Alfheim, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim. The wonderful light elves that ruled Alfheim, known for their healing and magic. Svartalfheim, land of the dark elves that wanted Asgard. Vanaheim, home of the nature gods. And Jotunheim, land of darkness and ice.
"They always told us fight hard and die in battle we would go to Valhalla. Die a coward and our soul would go to Muspelheim to be eaten. They told us stories of the Ice Giants. Huge monsters with burning red eyes that ruled Jotunheim. Once they had rule of Midgard. Allfather liked to tell stories about defeating the Ice Giants and restoring Midgard. They told us go to sleep or the Ice Giants, the Jotuns will come for us. Behave or they would come for us. These were stories told to all Asgardian children. Comparable to some of the demons that children are threaten with here on Midgard. The devil, bogeymen, monsters." He spoke, not getting to much of a point. I listened, hoping he'd make his point soon.
"The story that wasn't told, how Allfather defeated the Jotuns and restored Midgard. Jotunheim had rule of your realm during the last ice age. Allfather rode to Jotunheim to convince its king to release Midgard and allow the humans to prosper. The king, Laufey, refused. The two realms warred against each other. During one particularly rough battle on Jotunheim, the Allfather found a small Jotun babe. He took the child as a bargaining piece to bring peace to the realms. Allfather raised the child as his own, always telling King Laufey that he would kill the child if the Jotuns tried to invade Midgard again.
"Thus, ended what you would call the ice age and humans prospered. Allfather raised the Jotun boy with his own son, grooming both to one day be king.
"One day, not too long ago, a few stray Jotuns found their way into Asgard. They met their destruction on what would be Thor's coronation day. Allfather dismissed it as an isolated few. Thor took it as an act of war and travelled to Jotunheim intent on slaying every Ice Giant. Allfather intervened, and banished Thor to Midgard. While I was fighting alongside Thor that day, a Jotun grabbed my arm. Instead of burning off, my flesh took on a blue color similar to the Jotuns. I demanded the Allfather tell me of my heritage. He, in a weakened state admitted I was the boy that was stolen. I was the bargaining piece Allfather had against King Laufey. Laufey's son. I was never meant to be king of Asgard. I was being raised to rule Jotunheim. The Allfather knew he could secure peace with a son on the throne of Asgard and a son on the throne of Jotunheim.
"Thor had gone and ruined any chance for peace. And I, left the monster from our childhood. I met with Laufey, tried to convince him to restore peace. He just wanted the Allfather dead for stealing his son. I found him passage into Asgard to kill the Allfather while he was in the Odinsleep. I took the opportunity to slay Laufey myself and take my rightful place as King of Jotunheim. And with Thor being banished, I also took the throne of Asgard.
"It was then Thor returned and overthrew me. Peace was destroyed amongst the realms and suddenly I was an outcast. I was a monster in any realm. I threw myself from the Bifrost. I know I said Thor threw me, but how can anyone expect goody two shoes Thor to do that to his own brother. He tried to save me. But I had lost everything.
"I fell. I know not how long. I was saved from bleakness by Thanos. But that is a story for when I am stronger." Loki finished with a sigh. Like a relief off his chest to be telling me this.
"And so you're blue?"I asked.
"Naturally, yes."
"And the pattern?"
"Unique to only me."
"Has nothing to do with this?" I held up the snake charm that I was still wearing.
"No. I my mother gave that to me. She said it was family treasure." We sat in silence again. "Please unbind me. I have no magic. And I do not wish to kill you. At this point I owe you a life debt." Loki held out his hands. "Please, I wish to clean the rest of this blood off."
I slowly got up and untied the wires restraining him. He went off to the bathroom and I to my desk. I tried to comprehend the story I just heard.